Happily Never After
by Mary Haze
Summary: Ib and Garry reunite in a large library. Things are going well until a book of Guertena is opened. Chaos occurs, and it's up to Ib, Garry, and 8 others trapped within the library to beat the monsters and escape Guertena's world before they all wind up dead. But among these people, who can be trusted and who is a fake? Mystery, suspense, and romance await!
1. CHAPTER ONE

**Hello lovely people! I'm back, and a new story is out. ^^~ Of course, I'm still working on the other ones. But after playing this game, I just had to write a fanfic about it. *hearts***

**Fragments of Sorrow will still be updated once a week, so no worries there. :3**

**So there is will be a few OCs in this story. I will give a description of an OC whenever he/she appears in a chapter. Oh and almost forgot to mention that this story takes place after the Promise of Reunion Ending.**

**Disclaimer: I do not, have not, and will not ever own Ib. But I do love the game so much. XD**

**Ib's Age: 12**

**Garry's Age: 18-21 (I read it was somewhere between 15-18 in the game)**

**Please R&R :3**

* * *

**CHAPTER ONE**

**PROMISE OF REUNION**

* * *

Ib stared out the window of the car door as her mother slowly stopped in front of the library.

"We're here, Ib. Now mother has to run a quick errand. You promise to stay in the library until I return?"

Ib nodded with a glint of excitement in her eyes. She exited the vehicle and watched her mother drive off.

As Ib headed towards the library, her excitement only grew. She and Garry had promised to meet here today. It had been three years since the incident at Guertena's Art Gallery. The two of them had been good friends ever since.

* * *

Ib stared at the mountains of books as she awaited Garry's arrival.

"Hello Ib," said a familiar voice as a large, warm hand patted the girl's head gently.

"Garry," Ib said as she turned and hugged the man. Garry laughed and hugged the girl back.

"Oh my. Have you been doing well?"

"Yes."

"I really am sorry about this Ib. I wanted us to go someplace special, but I've been stuck with a massive amount of work," said a frustrated Garry.

"It's okay," Ib said with a gentle smile. "Even if you're busy with schoolwork, I'm happy to just be able to spend time with you."

Because Ib was a shy and quiet girl, she never really had any friends at all. Actually, Garry was the only friend she spent time with outside of school.

Garry laughed and took the girl's hand.

"Would you like to head towards the art section of the library? Even in a book, beautiful works of art are always a joy to look at," Garry said as he led Ib up the stairs.

The girl nodded in excitement. Even after surviving the horrors of the art gallery, these two still had a love for art. As long as they didn't associate themselves with Guertena then things should hopefully be alright.

* * *

Ib stared intently out the window.

"What's the matter Ib?"

"This place is huge," Ib responded as she continued to stare in awe.

"It truly is. This is the only library around here that's five stories tall."

"…"

"Oh well, I'll be right back Ib. I'll be as quick as possible," Garry said as he took his leave to gather books for his essay.

Ib turned and headed towards the aisle with the art books. There were so many to choose from.

"Darn…" whispered a girl as she walked past the aisle.

Ib glanced in the direction of where the girl had passed by. Moments later, the girl came walking back again, searching frantically for something. Ib couldn't help but watch the girl walk helplessly from one aisle to the next.

"Where is it?" she asked nervously while looking left to right.

Ib walked slowly towards the girl and stood several feet behind her.

"Uhm-" Ib started to say but was cut off by the girl's yelp as she spun around and jumped back.

"S-s-sorry," the girl said nervously.

"It's fine."

The two stared at each other for a while before Ib decided to speak up.

"Why are you here?" she asked as she tilted her head slightly to the side.

The girl remained silent as a small blush crept across her cheeks.

"Cute," the girl said as she continued to stare at Ib who gave her a questioning look. "You're so adorable, I want to hug you."

"Thanks. I guess…" Ib wasn't sure what to make of this strange girl.

"Oh right. Why I'm here. I want to check out the art books, but I don't know where they are," the girl said with a frown.

"They're over there," Ib said as she pointed to the aisle she was at earlier.

"Thank you," the girl said cheerfully as she and Ib walked over to the art aisle.

As the girl searched through the books, Ib couldn't help but notice the outfit she was wearing. Her jeans were slightly torn on the bottom, and there was a tear where the right knee should be. Her black jacket also looked very worn-out. Her hair also needed to be dyed. It was short and brown, but one could see that the roots were blonde. As for her white shirt, it was hard to tell. Her jacket was zipped up halfway, so whether or not that was torn was a mystery. Ib then noticed that the girl's eyes were two different shades of color. Her left eye was teal, and the right one was violet.

"Am I that interesting to look at?" the girl asked with a smile while pulling a book off the shelf.

"I'm sorry…" Ib said as she realized she was probably being rude by staring at the girl for so long.

"No reason to apologize. I mean I would stare too if I saw someone wearing an outfit like mine," the girl said then laughed nervously.

Ib nodded then noticed something on the girl's wrist.

"A-ah, so what's your name?" the girl asked as she quickly pulled down her sleeves.

"Ib."

"Ib huh? Cute, cute. I'm Marie," Marie said with a goofy grin. "So you like art?"

Ib nodded then smiled. There was a warm feeling coming from Marie that made her want to know more about the odd girl.

"Hmm what an odd name…" Marie said while examining the book.

"What is it?"

"Well it's like Gue… or gore… no… jortina?" Marie asked, feeling puzzled. "It's the author of this strange painting in the book.

"Ib, I'm back," said Garry as he walked over to a desk to set the books he gathered down.

Ib waltzed over to Garry while Marie stared intently at the book.

"I met someone," Ib said while pointing at Marie.

"Oh did you now?" Garry asked as he looked over to see a puzzled Marie, still trying to decipher the word. The girl looked to be at least seventeen years old. Garry was starting to wonder if Ib ever made friends her own age.

Ib nodded and stared back at the girl.

"Oh right, I have something for you Ib."

"What is it?" Ib asked while looking up at Garry.

"Close your eyes," Garry said with a grin as he stuck his hand into his pocket.

"The Lady in Red, huh? How dull," Marie said as she slammed the book shut and sighed.

Suddenly, all the lights flickered and turned off. Garry screamed while grabbing onto Ib.

"Ib, are you okay? !"

"I-I'm fine…"

"Marie?" Ib asked, but heard no response.

Garry sighed in relief as the lights finally flashed back on.

"What on earth was that?" Garry asked as he let go of Ib and rubbed the back of his neck.

"I don't know," said Ib as she walked over to the aisle where Marie was supposed to be.

There she spotted the girl shivering in the form of a ball.

"Marie?" Ib asked while walking up to the poor girl and sitting in front of her.

"Are you alright?" Garry asked while walking over and picking up the book Marie had dropped.

"I-I'm fine," Marie said as she looked up and forced a smile.

"Sorry to make you worry," she said as she stood.

Garry then gasped and dropped the book he was holding.

"I don't believe this," he said as fear struck in his voice.

"What is it, Garry?" Ib asked as she faced the frightened man.

"Ib, look! The author of that book."

Ib walked over and took a closer look at the art book. What she saw brought back the dreadful memories she wanted to permanently lock away.

"Guertena…"

* * *

"Where's all the people?" Marie asked as she walked together with Ib and Garry around the library. They had worked their way down to the first floor and found that everyone had disappeared. The doors and windows were also locked by an unknown force.

"What dreadful luck we have," Garry said, becoming more and more worried by the second.

"Geez, you're being too negative," Marie said with a pout. "I'll go on ahead and see if I can find people."

"Don't! We don't know what we're up against."

"We're in a library. Chill out." With that said, Marie wandered off.

"We shouldn't split up," Garry mumbled to himself.

"Do we follow her?" Ib asked.

"Yeah… That'd be a good idea. You know… I truly hope that what I'm thinking is wrong."

"Me too," Ib agreed as they both took off after Marie.

* * *

**And that is the end of chapter one :3**

**Funfact: I used to have a different fanfic account a long time back, but I forgot the password to it one day, so I made this one. XD I can't remember whether or not this story was already posted in that other account or not, since I've forgotten the name of it by now. *fails***

**I just happened to find it locked away in that jungle of a folder of mine today, and it brought back such good Ib memories. I just had to bring it to life once more. XD**


	2. CHAPTER TWO

**Hello everyone! I managed to update all my stories today... yaaaaay *cries tears of joy* Here's chapter 2 of Happy Never After. I won't be all sluggy slow with updating soon... you shall see... I'LL OVERCOME THIS!**

**Please enjoy the chapter. *bows***

**Disclaimer: I do not, have not, will not ever own Ib. But I do own all the ocs you all will be seeing. :3**

* * *

**CHAPTER TWO**

**NO OTHER CHOICE**

* * *

Ib and Garry rushed through the first floor of the library, searching for Marie.

"Marie! Marie, where are you?" Garry asked, not too pleased with the girl running off to begin with.

"Marie?" Ib asked while noticing movement from behind the shelves to the left.

"Are you there, Marie?" Ib asked while walking closer to the sound.

Garry heard someone scream, and rushed towards Ib.

"Ib! Are you alright?" he asked, panicking.

He stopped to see Ib standing before a young man on his knees, looking absolutely terrified.

"Sorry," Ib said while holding out her hand to help the man up.

"I-It's quite alright," the man said after realizing what had scared him was just a little girl.

He got up and patted Ib on the head.

"Are you alright my dear?"

Ib nodded her head yes.

"Were you with anyone else, or are you alone?" Garry asked.

"I came here with my younger brother. There's a report due, and he needed a few books on the subject," the man answered.

"When did you last see him?"

"Shortly before the blackout. Now I can't seem to find a bloody person in sight. Well besides you two of course."

"I see. Sorry to hear that. So you didn't see a girl run by here? She should be around your age."

"None of the sort."

"Hmm." Garry paused in thought. So now there were two missing. Though there was a chance the little brother didn't get dragged into this other dimension. If only that were the case.

"I think you should come with us for now," Garry said while smiling at the man. Right now, it was best to be calm. "Hopefully we'll run into your brother."

"Of course, thank you," the man said then grabbed Garry's hand to shake.

He seemed like a proper fellow. Maybe from a rich family? He wore black pants and a velvet, button up shirt under a black overcoat. His auburn hair was done nicely as well: A perfectly styled ponytail.

"The name is Afton Merrihew. A pleasure to make your acquaintance."

"I'm Garry, and this is Ib."

"Hello," Ib said shyly.

***creak***

The three looked in the direction of the sound of a closing door.

"Is someone here besides us?" asked Garry, concern on his face.

"Let's find out," said Afton.

The three made their way to the back of the library to see red double doors before them. Beautiful roses surrounded the doors.

"This can't be good," Garry said. The roses reminded him of when he and Ib were last trapped in Guertena's world.

"What's wrong? Do you think they went through here?" Afton asked as he walked towards the double doors and opened them.

Past the open doors was a stairway that led downwards into a dark room.

Ib grabbed hold of Garry's hand and squeezed it.

"I don't remember these doors or those stairs being in this library," said Afton as he crossed his arms in frustration.

"That's because they were never here in this library until now."

"Do you think they're down there?"

"I think it's best if we looked around the other floors of this library first. Going through that door should be reserved for last on our list of places to look," Garry said as he turned around. His eyes widened in surprise.

"Ah," Ib said as she turned around to see that they were surrounded by bookshelves. All completely blocked their way, giving them only one choice to make.

"Would you look at that," Afton said in surprise. "Those bookshelves touch the ceiling. How?"

"Garry," Ib said with worry in her voice as she held on to him.

Garry patted Ib on the head gently.

"It's alright. I'll protect you, Ib."

Ib nodded and calmed down a little.

"I guess we only have one option then," said a worried Afton. "Oh how I wish this was a dream."

"I'm afraid it's not. My guess is that your brother and Marie are somewhere down there," Garry said as he looked down the stairway of their possible doom.

"Are you both ready?" Garry asked.

Ib nodded, building up whatever courage she could muster.

"We don't appear to have any other choice," Afton said then sighed.

With that said, the three of them walked past the double doors and down the stairway, completely unaware of what evil lied upon them.

* * *

**Aaaand that's all folks! *eats a carrot* Next chapter, you all will be seeing some familiar creatures and some new ones as well. :3 Please take care!**


	3. CHAPTER THREE

**Chapter 3, yaaay~ I hope you all enjoy~ *bows* Please R&R. *hearts***

**Disclaimer: I do not, have not ever, will not ever own Ib. But the ocs are all mine! *evil laughter***

* * *

"It's alright. I'll protect you, Ib," Garry said, calming Ib down.

"I guess we only have one option then," said a worried Afton. "Oh how I wish this was a dream."

"I'm afraid it's not. My guess is that your brother and Marie are somewhere down there," Garry said as he looked down the stairway of their possible doom.

"Are you both ready?" Garry asked.

Ib nodded, building up whatever courage she could muster.

"We don't appear to have any other choice," Afton said then sighed.

With that said, the three of them walked past the double doors and down the stairway, completely unaware of what evil lied upon them.

* * *

**CHAPTER THREE**

**A ROSE FOR YOU**

* * *

Ib, Garry, and Afton walked down the long stairway into the room before them. The doors had shut themselves and vanished. Entering the room, they found three vases located in the center. Each held a single rose, all three a different color; red, blue, and a pale peach.

Ib walked over to the vases and took the red rose.

Garry sighed as he grabbed the blue one.

"The pale peach rose must be yours," Garry said to Afton.

"What is the meaning of this?" Afton asked while grabbing his rose.

"Just be sure to take good care of it. These roses represent our lives."

"How?" Afton asked, not understanding what Garry meant.

"For each petal your flower loses, you'll lose a piece of your life. If all the petals are gone, you die," Garry answered.

Afton went pale.

"H-hold on a second. Do you honestly expect me to believe such a thing?"

"It's the truth. We're in Guertena's world now, so anything can be possible."

As Garry tried to explain the situation to a confused and terrified Afton, Ib walked towards the door on the other side of the room. She stared at the knob of the door, not sure of whether or not she should open it. She still had nightmares of the last time she and Garry were trapped in the world of Guertena. But now, Marie and Afton's younger brother were trapped too. Who knows what horrors they might be facing right now.

Ib built up the courage within her and opened the door. Walking through it, she found herself in a long hallway. She looked to her left and right, not sure which path she should take.

The door shut itself from behind.

Turning around, Ib noticed that the door had disappeared. This was bad.

She walked up, and pressed her hand against the wall where the door once was. Garry and Afton were on the other side, and now she was all alone, unable to reach them.

Ib decided that the only thing she could do now was to move forward and find Marie and the boy. Then hopefully, she could find a way to be reunited with Garry and Afton.

* * *

"Ib!" Garry called out as he quickly opened the door on the other side of the room in hopes of finding the girl.

He had spent his time explaining to Afton about the horrors of Guertena's world and how important the roses were and neglected to watch after the little girl. He cursed himself for the mistake he made.

"She couldn't have gone too far," said Afton as he followed Garry out into the courtyard.

"Ib," Garry called out while scanning the area.

A beautifully designed marble fountain was found in the center of the courtyard. Two marble roads led a pathway from the fountain to the opposite edges of the courtyard. A third road led to the doorway that Garry and Afton had come from.

"Oliver," Afton called out while searching the area. "Oliver, where are you?"

"Oliver? Is that the name of your brother?" Garry asked as he walked up to the fountain. He found pink and white rose petals drifting in the water.

"Yes. I was hoping he'd be here. I suppose I was wrong," said Afton with sad eyes.

Did the petals in the water belong to Marie and Oliver? Or were there others who were brought into this world? Either way, they had to make haste for who knew when the danger would start to appear.

"We should go," Garry said, having made up his mind.

"But where to?" asked Afton. "Should we split up?"

"No. Splitting up is never a good idea. We'll check the left building first and then take a look at what's in the right building if we find nothing there.

"Alright then."

With that said, the two went on their way.

* * *

"Ohhh look at this!" Marie said excitedly as she ran up to a beautiful yellow rose with red tips. "So pretty~" she said while taking it out of the vase.

"It's yours," said a young man from behind.

"What do you mean mine? It obviously belongs to the library," said a confused Marie.

The man smiled as he walked up to her and patted her gently on the head. His crimson eyes were remarkable. Never had she seen anyone with such pretty eyes.

"I said it before, didn't I? In this part of the library, we are all given a rose that we must protect no matter what. That rose has been waiting for you to come and rescue it," the man said as he held up his black rose.

"Really?" Marie asked with wide eyes.

The man nodded.

"Wow Eric! You sure do know a lot," Marie said then giggled.

Marie had bumped into Eric earlier when she parted with Ib and Garry to find people. The guy was fast asleep on the floor of all places. Instead of waking him up, she felt the need to stare. He looked no older than eighteen and had a beautiful face with wavy, raven colored hair and bangs that touched his eyes. He was even wearing a black hoodie just like her. Except his hoodie looked brand new…

The guy had smirked and opened his eyes to look up at her, catching the girl off guard. This made her wonder if he was ever asleep in the first place.

After explaining her situation and realizing that she was lost, Eric decided to help Marie find Ib and Garry. They even bumped into an adorable little boy who was lost as well. Black shorts, a black vest, and a white long-sleeved shirt on the inside; he looked like he was dressed for a wedding.

"I didn't dress up for a wedding, you idiot," said the irritated boy.

Marie gasped in surprise.

"Did I think that out loud?"

"More like said it. Adults are so stupid," the boy said as he crossed his arms.

"I-I-I'm no adult yet!" Marie argued while waving her arms up and down. "I still got three years left until I graduate from my teen years. Seventeen and young!"

"Oh? So you're a stupid teen who'll soon become an even dumber adult? I feel so sorry for you," the boy said with a grin forming on his face.

"Oliveeeeeeer," Marie said with teary eyes and balled up fists.

Eric couldn't contain himself anymore. He burst into laughter at the scene before him.

"Oh look, Marie. He's laughing at your stupidity."

"Shut up!"

Eric calmed himself down and wiped a tear from his eye.

"You two are quite the entertainers. But as much as I'd love to stick around here and see you two goof off some more, I think we should get a move on," he said as he motioned to the creature creeping up from behind. "It's the Lady in Orange. Don't let her get your rose, Oliver."

"Y-yeah," Oliver said, remembering how painful it was when the lady in that darn portrait plucked a petal from his rose.

"Let's run," said Eric as the three took off, the Lady in Orange after them.

* * *

Ib ran as fast as she could away from the mannequins who chased her in pursuit. She had been searching everywhere she could and still couldn't find anyone.

She gasped for air, tired from running but knew that if she stopped, the mannequins would undoubtedly kill her.

Suddenly a pair of arms grabbed the poor girl from the right and pulled her into a room. The one who pulled Ib into the room slammed the door shut and locked it.

"That was close. Are you okay?" asked the girl as she grabbed a chair and pressed it against the door.

On the floor and still gasping for air, Ib lifted her head to take a good look at her savior.

She had chocolate colored eyes and freckles on her cheeks. Her long, blonde hair was tied in a ponytail and fell down to her waist. And she wore a short sleeved, knee-length blue dress with brown sandals.

"Are you alright?" the pale-skinned girl asked again.

"Yes," Ib said, glad to be away from those mannequins.

"Thank goodness," the girl said then fell to her knees. She looked exhausted.

"Are you okay?" asked Ib.

"I'll be fine, thanks," the girl said with a forced smile. "I'm just tired is all. I've been running ever since those monsters appeared. I've seen mannequins, dolls, and moving paintings. One of the paintings even plucked this rose which ended up hurting me so. I don't understand how that's possible."

Ib watched with wide eyes as the girl held up a coral rose. The thing was missing half of its petals.

"We need to find a vase," Ib said as she stood.

"A vase? Why?" asked the confused girl.

"That rose represents your life. If it loses all of its petals, then you'll die. A vase filled with water will heal the rose," Ib explained.

"I'm finding this hard to believe… But then again, when that painting plucked this rose, it hurt so much," the girl said as she fiddled with the rose. "What on earth is going on?"

Ib then explained to the girl about Guertena's world and the living works of art.

"So strange. But I have no reason to not believe you," the girl said as she stood. "By the way, I don't think I've introduced myself. I'm Elizabeth."

"I'm Ib," Ib said while looking up at the nervous girl. She was trying so hard to look calm.

Suddenly, the sounds of scratching could be heard on the other end of the door. Ib and Elizabeth took a few steps away. Then there was banging.

"What on earth…"

"We need to go," Ib said while looking around the room. Unfortunately there was no place for them to go. They were trapped.

The sounds of banging and scratching were getting louder.

"What do we do?" asked a frightened Elizabeth.

Just what were they to do indeed? There were no windows or any other doors in the room. Just shelves filled with books and a table in the center.

Elizabeth and Ib walked slowly to the very back of the room.

Soon enough, the door was forced open, being blown into pieces. What appeared before the two girls was something they have never before seen.

* * *

**And that's the end of chapter 3. x3 I hope you all liked it~.**

**The something that broke down the door... Wonder who or what that is~. xP**

**See you all in Chapter 4! *poofs***


End file.
